1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of manufacturing a roll-formed component having a varying dimension (height) in its width direction, the dimension varying continuously in the longitudinal direction of the roll-formed component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Examples of structural members used for manufacturing an aircraft include stringers, stiffeners, spars, floor beams, ribs, frames, doublers, etc. One example of a method of manufacturing such a structural member is roll forming. In the roll forming, a flat plate-shaped metal member is formed into a predetermined cross-sectional shape by a plurality of roll members. Such a structural member formed into a predetermined cross-sectional shape is often imparted with a contour (a curved shape). By performing roll bending of the structural member after the roll forming thereof, the structural member having a predetermined cross-sectional shape and imparted with a contour can be manufactured. It should be noted that, in the description below, the term “roll forming” also covers roll bending.
One example of a method of manufacturing a structural member by using roll forming is roll assembly disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,815. This patent literature discloses that, in the roll assembly, a contour can be imparted to a structural member whose cross-sectional shape is, for example, a T shape, L shape, Z shape, or a hat shape.